Sean Mannion’s first comments about Jalen Hurts followed a familiar pattern. What comes next will determine Mannion’s success.
The new OC spoke highly of Hurts in his first news conference, mostly because that's what is done.
Going back to his freshman season of 2016 at the University of Alabama, Jalen Hurts has had 11 offensive coordinators.
Eleven. That counts his sixth with the Eagles as he enters his seventh NFL season.
This fact is so jarring that Eagles legend Brandon Graham cracked a joke about it in a podcast appearance last week.
“We joke sometimes and say, ‘You done had about seven different daddies and they all walked out on you,’” Graham said via PHLY.
By now, reporters and fans should be used to the cycle: We speak with the new, hotshot OC for the first time at the organized team activities following the draft, he waxes poetic about Hurts, then the duo has a strong minicamp/training camp showing.
Once the season rolls around, the OC travels down one of two paths: a) He has so much success with Hurts that he either keeps his job/gets a head coaching gig, or b) He fizzles out and gets fired.
Rinse and repeat.
New Eagles OC Sean Mannion is at the start of this process. Can we glean anything from his first public comments on Hurts last Thursday, compared to those of his predecessors? His first reviews were glowing.
“Jalen’s been awesome,” Mannion said. “I really think he can do anything we ask of him. He’s accurate. He’s a great athlete. He really attacks the fundamentals. That’s what’s been really fun to watch these last two weeks of [the offseason period’s] Phase 2.
“He’s always wanting more things to work on, wanting more things regarding fundamentals, timing, understanding the scheme. He’s hungry for more. Those are the guys that are really fun to work with.”
Mannion won his first news conference with quotes like this. He was insightful, charismatic and confident. Beyond the words, something feels different with the 34-year-old from past coordinators. He’s expected to implement a modern offense that takes inspiration from those of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, with more of an emphasis on motion than the attack has previously seen during the Hurts/Nick Sirianni era.
It’s early but, according to Mannion, Hurts is taking the changes in stride.
“Jalen’s been outstanding in the meetings, and I think having gone through multiple coordinators and stuff, you can tell he’s a really capable learner,” Mannion said. “He has a great process in the meetings.”
All of this sounds great, but it’s not the first time we’ve heard it. Just last year, Kevin Patullo offered similar praise at OTAs and the results were, well, uninspiring. The Eagles went 11-6, ran a predictable offense and suffered a disappointing wild-card loss to the 49ers. Patullo, who had served as Eagles pass game coordinator the previous four seasons, was removed as OC two days after the playoff defeat and is now on the Miami Dolphins staff.
“I’ve been here with him since Day 1 and it’s been great,” Patullo said of Hurts last May. “He works extremely hard, we all know that. He’s super detailed in what he does, and the biggest thing with him is he always wants to get better, and that’s awesome. He’s willing to listen to anybody about anything. If he feels like it’s going to get him better, he’s willing to take it and try it.”
The same thing happened under Brian Johnson in 2023: Effusive praise from the new OC in the offseason, but an offensive collapse just months later. The Johnson-led Eagles started 10-1 before losing five of their last six games to finish 11-6. They fell to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round. Hurts threw 15 interceptions that season, the only time he has reached double figures.
“I’ll never put a ceiling on what he can accomplish,” Johnson said of Hurts in 2023. “With Jalen, nothing he ever does will surprise me. He works like a madman. He’s very, very diligent and intentional about what he wants. That shows on a daily basis and how he operates.”
Then again, this kind of praise has preceded some of Hurts’ best seasons, too. In 2024, Kellen Moore gushed about the cerebral side of Hurts’ game — and even called him one of the “premier quarterbacks” in the NFL. The pair won a Super Bowl exactly nine months later.
“I’ve enjoyed Jalen’s process,” Moore said. “So far I think he’s really focused on how he processes the game and the classroom aspect of it. We’re beginning the on-field process of really getting out on the field and beginning to do this thing, but I’ve really enjoyed our conversations. I think he’s a really smart player.
“He has a great feel for the game. The more conversations we have, the more we get to make these adjustments and build off this thing. But Jalen’s one of the premier quarterbacks in this league for a reason. You see it on film previously, but obviously getting on the field now, you’re certainly seeing it.”
Shane Steichen didn’t take home any Super Bowl hardware in Philadelphia, but he offered one of the more memorable quotes about Hurts’ work ethic ahead of the 2022 season, stating that the then-23-year-old worked so hard that it was as if he didn’t “have an offseason.” Steichen and Hurts danced all the way to Super Bowl LVII in their second season together, but lost to the Chiefs.
“He just has a relentless effort to be great,” Steichen said at the time. “Every approach he takes — he doesn’t have an offseason. He’s always on it. He’s always thinking about football. We’re always talking football, day in and day out, and he’s continuing to grow as a player, as a leader, every single day.”
Bottom line: Almost every new OC is going to boast about their quarterback, but those words will ring hollow if the results don’t back them up. Mannion’s approval rating is high now, but if his offense doesn’t mesh with Hurts, fans will turn on him quickly. That’s why he’s emphasizing the classroom this offseason. Apparently Hurts is responding well to this.
“He always asks really, really thought-provoking questions,” Mannion said. “He’s detailed and attacks his fundamentals. He’s always a guy who stays after practice and is working on things. Those are the guys you love to work with.”
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